According to occupational wage surveys taken by the United States Department of Labor, physician assistants were one of Delaware’s elite 50 highest-paying occupations for 2014. In that year, physician assistants working here generated an average annual salary of $105,210 and an average hourly wage of $50.58. As health care providers rush to fill the state’s growing demand for skilled workers, physician assistants in Delaware will benefit from a strong job market and increasingly competitive salary offers.
The federal government predicts that the number of physician assistants gainfully employed in Delaware will increase by 25% between 2012 and 2022. These highly encouraging growth predictions qualified physician assisting to be named among the state’s 50 fastest-growing occupations in 2014.
Examples of local employers advertising for physician assistant jobs through the Delaware Department of Labor (DOL) and the Delaware Academy of Physician Assistants (DAPA) in September 2015 include: Humana, the Department of Veteran Affairs, Christiana Care Health System, Delaware Cardiovascular Associates, Arcadia University, Mid-Atlantic Surgical Group, and Sussex Pain Relief Center.
Experience Linked to High Physician Assistant Salaries in DE
Salary studies conducted by the United States Department of Labor reveal that highly experienced physician assistants in Delaware typically earn $60,000 more annually than those just entering the field. Yet, even largely inexperienced physician assistants still receive higher salaries than the national average for this profession. In 2014:
- Entry-level physician assistants throughout the country earned an average annual salary of $64,100 and an average hourly wage of $30.82, but physician assistants in Delaware were paid a higher average annual salary of $82,000 and an average hourly wage of $39.41.
- Mid-level physician assistants across the country took home an average annual salary of $95,800 and an average hourly wage of $46.07, while physician assistants in Delaware were offered a larger average annual salary of $102,300 and an average hourly wage of $49.17.
- The most experienced physician assistants in the country achieved an average annual salary of $134,700 and an average hourly wage of $64.77, but physician assistants in Delaware were compensated with a greater average annual salary of $141,300 and an average hourly wage of $67.91.
Physician Assistant Salaries by Regional Placement in Delaware
In 2014, the United States Department of Labor found the Wilmington metropolitan division employed the majority of physician assistants in Delaware. At that time, physician assistants practicing here collected an average annual salary of $102,080 and an average hourly wage of $47.92. However, high employment areas do not always yield the highest salaries.
For instance, physician assistants working in the city of Dover accepted a more impressive average annual salary of $109,890 and an average hourly wage of $52.83, while those employed in the Sussex County nonmetropolitan area enjoyed an even higher average annual salary of $110,870 and an average hourly wage of $53.30.
The table below provides a full analysis of physician assistant salaries throughout Delaware (US Department of Labor, 2014):